"It's a nice thing to see," Grounsell said. "They're backing me up on this thing."

Grounsell filed a grievance with the city this week, alleging that he was wrongfully terminated on Dec. 28, in part, because he was not allowed to discipline Assistant Police Chief Coleen O'Neil.

"I'm not going to comment on any of the investigations that they currently ongoing right now. I believe it should be given due process of law -- every single person," Grounsell said. "I want to clean up the city and I'd like to get my job. Those are the two things I want. If I get both of those things, I think everything else will work out."

Because of limited seating capacity inside the council chamber, only about half of the crowd was allowed into the city council meeting. It was the first regular council meeting since the firing of Grounsell.

Most of Grounsell's supporters were not allowed to speak during the time designated for public comments because they were not aware that they had to sign up beforehand.

"Where do we sign up? Nobody knows where to sign up. How are we able to speak? Nobody knows how we're able to speak," Chris Heitz, a Grounsell supporter, told WYFF. "We have a whole lot of people with a lot to say but not opportunity to say it."

In Grounsell's grievance, he said that Assistant Chief Coleen O'Neil had filed a harassment claim against him. As a result, Grounsell claimed he was "not allowed to communicate directly with her or even be in the same room with her." The grievance also claimed that city administrator Russ Hawes "feared a lawsuit."

Before the meeting, Mayor Perry Eichor released a statement about Grounsell's dismissal.

"I made an error when voting to hire him," Eichor wrote. "A police chief is required to report to the city administrator. He has to answer to all of city council. He has to take instructions. He has to manage all employees fairly and by the laws of the city of Simpsonville -- not his own. Keith Grounsell knew all of these job requirements but did not follow them. He repeatedly said and showed by his actions that he believed he was the absolute authority and refused to work with others."

In the statement, Eichor claimed, "Keith Grounsell also showed a lack of candor needed to be a police chief when he had discussed the details of a human resources meeting that he earlier had agreed to keep confidential."

During the meeting, council member Geneva Lawrence spoke in defense of Grounsell while reading from an email she received from an unnamed third party. Lawrence said the individual had spoken to Grounsell about matters not related to the city but said he had spoken to O'Neil and that the talk went well.

"There was no clandestine conversation. I didn't even think that. I feel like that was what he was supposed to say," Lawrence said. "He was supposed to be outgoing and say 'we've got to talk' or 'our differences are passed and we're ready to make Simpsonville what it can be.'"

Lawrence then alluded to a possible mistake in firing Grounsell.

"I think this was misunderstood because it was not researched," Lawrence said.

Councilman George Curtis responded to Lawrence claiming that Lawrence had a family member who "stands to have economic gain relating to Grounsell's employment."

"If a council member has a relative who is being looked at to be employed by the city, the standard of decorum would be that that council member would recuse herself from any discussion on these things," Curtis said.

Curtis said he had nothing against Grounsell personally, but that there were reasons he was fired. When he declined to go into further detail, there was an outburst of protest from the crowd.

"If you don't accept it, then you don't accept it," Curtis said. "The day will come when, if you choose to, you can get rid of all of us."

The city council agreed to hear from the public after adjourning the meeting. City attorney David Holmes said it would violate the law for council to accept public comments on an issue that was not previously set on the agenda.

A succession of supporters spoke on Grounsell's behalf. One of the most emotional statements came from Simpsonville resident Paulette Rose, who tearfully expressed gratitude to Grounsell and his officers.

"I lost my husband. I've been through domestic abuse," Rose said. "If it wasn't for him... I would not be alive today."

Grounsell also spoke in his own defense.

"Anytime you have an adversarial employment action, you have to give the employee the option of a private or a public hearing. I was never given that option," Grounsell said. "I want a public hearing and I demand a public hearing. Because I'm going to air all your dirty laundry."

In his grievance, Grounsell claimed he gave the city administrator a 50-page packet of alleged violations and insubordinations by O'Neil and that Hawes "blew me off."

Grounsell claimed one of the infractions included an "inappropriate relationship" between O'Neil and Simpsonville Fire Chief Wesley Williams that violated a "romantic relationship policy."

The city subsequently suspended Williams and O'Neil, citing personnel reasons.

Before adjourning, the council voted 5 to 2 in favor of rescinding two suspensions but did not say whether they involved O'Neil or Williams.

While council members declined to say whether they planned to schedule a hearing as Grounsell requested, the former chief's wife told WYFF that the family would not give up the battle.

Romesa Grounsell said they have tried to explain what is going on to their three children, who are ages 3, 5 and 8.

"Sometimes there are bad people in the world. Not everybody is nice," Grounsell said. "They tell lies and hurt other people. Our family has been hurt and we're gonna be OK because we're strong. All they're going to do is make us fight harder."

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